Refrigerator



June 22,1948.

GV. l.. C. EARLE REFR'IGERATOR Filed Jan. 15.1944

A TTORNEY Patented June 22, 1948 UNITED REFRIGERATOR Guyon L. C. Earle. Forest Hills, N. Y., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments to Hugh S.

Wert:

Application January 15, 1944, Serial No. 518,391 A 13 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerators and more specifically to mechanical refrigerators suitable for domestic purposes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel refrigerator of the type suitable for apartment and home kitchens.

It is another objectA of this invention to provide refrigerators of this type which havenovel frozen food compartments insulated in each case from the rest cf the refrigerator.

It is still another object of this invention to provide novel means for loosening a refrigerator drawer from its supporting well or guide if it should get frozen thereto.

In Patent 2,180,460, issued November 21, 1939, to Guyon L. C. Earle, and Patent 2,312,326, issued March 2, 1943, to the same inventor, there are disclosed refrigerators of the "set-back type. In each of these refrigerators, the upper part, which contains the evaporator coils, has its front set back from the front of the lower part, a table-top member being provided above that portion of the lower part which is in front of the upper part. By deilecting or other means, the cold from the evaporator in the upper partis caused to refrigerate the interior of the lower part. Actual tests have shown that refrigerators of this type have a. very uniform temperature throughout substantially the entire interior. The present invention is concerned with the provision of a. refrigerator of the set-back type wherein a part or parts thereof can be made much colder than other parts thereof.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided, by way of example for illustrative purposes, a refrigerator of the set-back" type which is provided with evaporator coils in the upper portion thereof and, in addition, one or more additional evaporator coils in the lower portion thereof. I'he coil .or coils in the lower portion can be in the sameclosed circuit with those in the upper portion or they can be in a different circuit. In one specific form of the invention, at least one of the coils in the lower portion is embedded in or is closely adjacent the insulation which forms the stationary top of a frozen food compartment, the front, back, bottom and side walls of the compartment (all of which are insulated) forming elements of a drawer which can be moved with respect to the top. When the drawer is in its normal position, a tightly insulated compartment is formed which the invention, the frozen food compartment can be a stationary compartment reached through a lid in the table-top member. The interior of the upper set-back part of the refrigerator can be sealed from that of the lower part of the refrigerator (thus relying on only the coils in the lower part of the refrigerator to cool this part) can be refrigerated by the coil or coils in its I top to temperatures below those of the rest of the refrigerator interior. In a modified form of or left open to permit the circulation of cold air between the two major parts of the refrigerator, as desired. Switches or dials for the control of the degree of cold can be placed in the upper part or in the lower part or, if the coils in the upper part are in a different circuit from those in the lower part, in bothupper and lower parts, thus permitting certain parts of the refrigerator to be at greatly different temperatures than other parts thereof. While a variety of temperatures are possible in the interiors of many known commercial refrigerators these temperatures are not subject to the individual controls possible in the refrigerator in accordance with this invention.

If the frozen food drawer should become frozen to its supporting drawer well or guide member, it can be loosened, in accordance with an exemplary form `of this invention, by means of a rotatable cam which, when turned by means of a handle on the outside of the drawer, pushes against a horizontal plate carried from the refrigerator frame under the drawer and causes the drawer to be slightly lifted.`

The invention will be more readily understood by referring to the, following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional elevation view of a refrigerator in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a front perspective of this refrigerator;

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary views, partly in cross-section, of modifications of the refrigerator of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 show, by way of example for illustrative purposes, a refrigerator I0 of the setback type constructed in accordance with this invention. This comprises a lower insulated refrigerated portion I I, an upper insulated refrigerated portion I2 the front of which is generally in a plane which is behind theplane of the front of the lower portion II, and a table-top member i3. Apreferably of stainless steel or Monel metal,

positioned on top of that part of the lower portion I I which is in front of the upper portion I2. The entire refrigeratoris preferably mounted on a recessed base Il. Y

The upper portion I2 is provided with an' evaporator -comprising coils 2| which are connected by means of pipe 22 to the compressorcondenser unit` (not shown but preferably located beside the refrigerator) and by means of pipe 23 to one or more coils 24 located at the top of the lower refrigerated portion II. The coil 24 is connected through pipe 25 to the compressorcondenser unit. Within or adjacent the coils 2| are ice cube trays 26, 21, and 28 although the lower tray 28 may be replaced by a wire mesh basket for supporting food, if desired. Positioned at the side of the evaporator 20 in the. upper portion of the refrigerator are mesh shelves 29, 30, and 3| for theVY support of food. One of these, as fr example the shelf 30, preferably has a cut- -out portion, as shown in Fig. 2, so that very tall 'bottled drinks, or other articles having a height greater than the distance between shelves, can be accommodated without turning them over on their sides. Doors 32 and 33 are provided as closure members for the upper refrigerated portion I2. I

The lower refrigerated portion I is provided with a plurality of drawers 40, 4|, 42, and 43 to hold food and other articles to be refrigerated. If desired` one or more of the lower drawers 42 and 43 can be longer than the top one in order to provide better circulation of cold air to these lower drawers. For a more complete description of set-back refrigerators employing drawers, reference is made to the above-identified Earle Patent 2.312.326. In this Earle patent, however, the cooling coils are located entirely in the upper portion ofthe refrigerator (or substantially so) while in the present invention, much (if noty all) of the cooling of the space in the lower portion II of the refrigerator is accom- 'ing circuits can be provided for the coils 2| and Figs. 1 and 2 will now be described. RefrigerantY made tc circulate throughthe coils 2| causes heat to be taken from the upper refrigerated portion I2. The cold dial or switch 46 controls the f degree of cold in this portion. .Atthe same time,

by means of the coils 24 lthe lower portion of the refrigerator is refrigerated, the cold air from these coils dropping into the upper drawer 40 and also setting up a relatively rapid circulation or current of cold air in back of the drawers as indicated by the arrowsV in Fig. 1. Cold air is taken from this current and caused to flow into the two lower drawers 42 and 43. Moreover, as these drawers are preferably of metal, there is a transfer of cold by conduction. Radiation also assists in the refrigeration of the lower portion (and also the upper portion) of the refrigerator. By proper design of the length of the coils 2| and 24, the upper portion of the refrigerator can be made colder than the lower portion, or vice versa, even though both are in the same refrigeration circuit and are controlled by the same dial 46. As the frozen food compartment 45 is completely insulated from the rest of the lower portion of the refrigerator because of the snug flt between the drawer4| and the top member 54, it can be', and preferably is, made much colder than its surroundings. used to refrigerate this compartment are contained in a separate refrigeration circuit from the coils 2| or 24 and are controlled by the separate control member or dial 59 but it is to beunderstood that the coils for the frozen food complished by the coils 24 inasmuch as the upper portion I2 is preferably sealed from the lower Dortion Il by means of the partition 44 although in one form of the invention, to be described below. this partition is removed and cold air from the coils 2l is free to reach the lower portion II of the refrigerator.

While the drawer 4| may be similar to the drawers 40, 42 and 43, preferably, in accordance with this invention, it is constructed in such a way as to form a frozen food compartment which is isolated from the rest of the refrigerator. The bottom 50, the sides 5|, the rear wall 52, and the front wall 53 are insulated as is also the horizontal member 54 overlying the drawer 4| and forming a top for the frozen food compartment 45. I'he member 54 has a downwardly projecting end 55 with a biased edge which makes a close t with the rear wall 52 of the drawer 4I. Within or directly under the horizontal member 54 are one or more cooling coil 56 which may be connected in the same cooling circuit as the coils 2| and 24 but preferably they are connected in a separate cooling circuit as indicated in Fig, l. The coil 56 is connected to a compressor-condenser unit (not shown and which may be either the same unit or a 4different one from that to which the coils 2| and 24 are connected) by means of the pipes 51 and/ 58. A control dial switch member 59 is located at any suitable point, such as, for example, on the front underside of the horizontal member 54 to control the degree of cold in the frozen food compartment 45 comprising the drawer 4| and the member 54. A dial switch 46 can also be provided for controlling the degree of cold of the space cooled by the coils 2| and 24. If desired. separate coolpartment 45 and coils 2| and 24 (or either one of them) can be in the same refrigeration circuit, if desired. In such a situation, ythe frozen food compartment can be made colder than its surroundings by providing a relatively larger coil surface per area. to be cooled. By way of example, the temperature of the upper part of the refrigeratorcan be 35 degrees, that of the lower portion of the refrigerator exclusive of the frozen food compartment 40 degrees, and that of the frozen food compartment 15 degrees.

If the partition 44 between the' upper and lower portions of the refrigerator is removed, the cold air from the coils 2| can also be used to help refrigerate the lower portion of the refrigerator as in the above-mentioned Earle patent.

Fig. 3 illustrates a modification of the refrigerator in Figs. 1 and 2. In the arrangement of Fig. 3, means are provided to loosen the frozen food drawer from its drawer well, frame or guide if it should become frozen thereto. While this means may take any convenient form, in Fig. 3

wall of the refrigerator, thus causing the rod 6| and hence the drawer bottom 50 to be raised slightly, breaking any ice seal that existed. The handle 64 and the cam 60 are returned to their normal positions by means of the spring 66 when the hand of the operator is released from the handle 64. The handle is preferably located at one of the lower corners of the drawer front.

Preferably the coils 56 Fig. 4 shows `a`stationary frozen food compartment 'llfin the upper portion of the lowerv part of thevrefrigerator. This compartment has insulated side walls, front and back walls 1I and 12. $0913 and bottom 1|. If desired, pipes 15. and Il leading to a compressor-condenser unit and forming evaporating coils may be located in or adjacent to any of the walls, top or bottom. The cooling circuit can be independent of the other cooling circuit or circuits in the refrigerator. In Fig. 4, they have been shown in the bottom 14. located in the table-top member I3 is a top 'll which is flush with the'surface of the table top and has linger grips made therein so that it can be readily removed when access is desired to the compartment l0. If desired the rest of the refrigerator can be like that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the upper drawer 40 being replaced by the compartment l0. If the compartment .10 is provided, the frozen food drawer Il can be replaced by a. refrigerator drawer like the members 42 and 4I if desired.

While there have been shown and particularly Y ent from that including said mst-mentioned described certain embodiments of the invention for the purpose` of explaining its principles and Y showing its applications, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible and it is therefore intended to cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising an insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, means for refrigerating said enclosure member, a smaller enclosure member within the first enclosure member, said smaller member comprising a stationary insulated member forming the top of said smaller member and an insulated drawer vmember adapted when in its closed position to fit fairly snugly against said top, said drawer member having its side and back walls and its bottom of insulating material, and means within or closely adjacent said top for refrigerating said smaller enclosure member.

2. A refrigerator comprising an insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, means for refrigerating said enclosure member, a smaller enclosure member within the first enclosure member, said smaller member comprising a stationary insulated member forming the top of said smaller member and an insulated drawer member adapted when in its closed position to t fairly snugly against said top, said drawer member having its side and back walls and its bottom of insulating material, and means within or closely adjacent said top for refrigerating said smaller enclosure member, said last-mentioned means being independent of said first-mentioned refrigerating means.

3. A refrigerator comprising an insulated e'nrefrigerating means.

4. The combination of elements as in` claim 1 in further combination with means for loosening said drawer member when it gets frozen shut.

5. A refrigerator comprising an insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, means for refrigerating said enclosure member, a smaller enclosure member within the first enclosure member, said smaller member comprising a stationary insulated member forming .the top of said smaller member and an insulated drawer member adapted when in its closed position to fit fairly snugly against said top, and means within or closely adjacent said top for refrigerating said smaller 'enclosure member, said last-mentioned means comprising cooling coils which are in acooling circuit different from that including said firstmentioned refrigerating means and separate controls for said two refrigerating means.

6. A refrigerator comprising an insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, a plurality of drawers in said enclosure member,

one of said drawers having an insulated bottom and sides, an insulated member'overlying said one drawer and positioned so close thereto that it forms a top which lits fairly snugly over said one drawer when the latter is in its closed position, means for circulating cold air through all of said drawers except said one drawer, and means independent of said circulating means for cooling said one drawer.

'7. A refrigerator comprising an insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, a piurality of drawers in said enclosure member, one of said drawers having an'insulated bottom and sides, an insulated member overlying said one drawer and positioned so close thereto that it forms a top which ts fairly snugly over said one drawer when the latter is in its closed position,

. means for circulating cold air through all of said closure member adapted to be refrigerated, means drawers except said one drawer, and means inde- A pendent of said circulating means for cooling said one drawer. said last-mentioned means comprising stationary cooling means placed above said one drawer.

8. A first insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, a second insulated enclosure adapted to be refrigerated, said second member being smaller than said first member and positioned above said first member in such a way that the front of said second member is set back from the front of said first member, a pluralityof drawers in said first member, means in said first member for refrigerating said rst member, and means in said second member for refrigerating said second member, one of said drawers being at least partly insulated from the other or others of said drawers.

9. A first insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, a second insulated enclosure adapted to be refrigerated, said second member being smaller than said first member and positioned above said first member in such a waythat the front of said second member is set back from the front of said ilrst member, a plurality of drawers in said first member, means in said first member for `refrigerating said first member, and

means in said second member for refrigerating said second member, part at least of one of said drawers being insulated from the other or others of said drawers and being provided with means for refrigerating said one' drawer independently of the means for refrigerating said other drawer or drawers.

10. In combination, a iirst insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, a second insulatd enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, said second member being smaller than said rst member and positioned above it in such a way that the front of said second member is set back from the front of said rst member, a table-top member above said first member and in front of said second member, an insulated compartment in said irst member, and means independent of the means for cooling said second member for cooling said compartment.

11. The combination of elements as in claim 10 in which said compartment has an opening therein through said table top member.l

12. A iirst insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, a second insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, said second member being smaller than said first member and positioned above said first member in such a way that the front of said second member is set back from the front of said rst member, a plurality of drawers in said rst member, means in said rst member for refrigerating said rst member, means in said second member for refrigerating said second member, and a stationary frozen f ood compartment in the first member.

13. A household mechanical refrigerator comprising a iirst insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, a second insulated enclosure member adapted to be refrigerated, said second member being smaller than said first member and positioned above it in such a way .that the front of the second member is set back i from the front of the first member, a partition member between said first and second members serving as a bottom for said second member 'and as a top for a portion of said iirst member, a

plurality of drawers in said first member, evaporator means in said rst member for refrigerating said first member, and evaporator means in said second member for refrigerating said second member, said evaporator means in said rst member comprising means for refrigerating at least a portion of said iirst member to a temperature below freezing.

GUYON L. C. EARLE.

REFERENCES crrmo The following references are oi record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

